"In the context of Chicago's economic and cultural climate, social milieu, and the scramble for prominence and refinement among the newly rich, Eugene Cropsey presents a chronicle of the city's first great cultural awakening, with Crosby's Opera House as the central focus.

It is also the story of Albert and Uranus Crosby, who migrated from Cape Cod to Chicago where, as successful entrepreneurs, they made their fortunes and later sacrificed it all in their efforts to bring a new musical and artistic enlightenment to their adpoted city.

The Crosby's struggle to enhance the cultural climate out on the urban frontier of the 1860s was a turbulent one, brought to life in this book through a gallery of colorful characters, including many of Chicago's prominent citizens, as well as the numerous impresarios, artists, musicians, and other entertainers who visited or settled in Chicago."--BOOK JACKET.